Sen. Tim Tebow, speaking with lawmakers on Tuesday, read messages from a sex offender who bragged about his penchant for children and stored exploitative baby content on his computer.
“It breaks my heart to read those chats,” Tebow said at a news conference on Capitol Hill this week to introduce anti-exploitation legislation, the New Hope Act of 2024, to combat exploitation.
“And so I read that and it makes me a little sad and heartbroken, but it also makes me hopeful, because I know that we can bring part of the solution here today,” he added. “And unfortunately, a lot of times, the people who are intent on doing bad things do better than the people who are intent on doing good things. And I say that with a heavy heart today, but as you all know, I believe that we have an incredible coalition of people who are intent on doing good here today.”
Reports say Christian PostThe bill would strengthen the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security's capabilities to rescue victims of exploitation and identify perpetrators, and would provide the agencies with the resources to hire, train, and acquire more sophisticated methods to identify victims.
The bill was introduced in the Senate by Republican Senator John Cornyn (Texas) and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut), and in the House of Representatives Laurel Lee and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Florida).
“Why can't we have the best training in the world?” Tebow asked. “Our boys and girls are that important to us.”
He hopes the New Hope Act of 2024 will give exploited children “the faith, hope and love they deserve.” The former NFL star added that he's pleased the bill includes the word “new,” noting that the word means “giving someone the ability to thrive once again.”
“Right now, they're crying as we speak,” Tebow said. “So we'd better not just talk, we'd better act. They're waiting, so we'd better act.”
During the interview Christian Post Last month, Tebow said he felt a calling to speak out on the issue after his father, Robert, a missionary, spent all his money to rescue four girls who were being sold at auction while preaching at an underground pastors' conference in a land of religious intolerance several years ago.
“He called me afterwards, and it's hard to explain,” Tebow said. “I knew this was one of those areas where we were needed and I knew I was needed and we had to step up and stand up for those four guys and those poor girls.”
Photo courtesy: ©Kent Nishimura / Stringer
